The Food and Drugs Authority (FDA) says it would sanction a family planning organisation DKT International if it establishes that the company distributed illegal drugs across the country.
FDA Head Thomas Amedzro said they would not hesitate in punishing companies that go against the FDA’s rules and regulations for drug companies.
Speaking to Prince Minkah, host of Joy FM’s Top Story Programme Monday, he said the FDA would investigate the operations of the DKT in the country.
An investigation by Joy News’ Kwetey Nartey has uncovered a covert operation of family planning giant, DKT International in the country in which thousands of unregistered drugs Misoprostol and Mifepristone were brought into Ghana.
According to the investigation, the drugs were first sent to India and later taken to Nigeria before they were smuggled into Ghana.
A waybill dated July 19, 2016, revealed that the family planning organisation used 500 packets of Mifepristone and 2,000 pieces of Misoprostol.
Another document sighted by Joy News showed that on August 10, 2016, the organisation again used 500 packets of packets of Misoprostol and another 500 packets of Misoprostol.
A former staff of DKT International (name withheld) told Joy News that she witnessed large quantities of the unapproved pregnancy-terminating drugs being shipped into Ghana through the backdoor.
Kwetey’s investigation further revealed that the drugs are sold alongside Food and Drugs Authority (FDA) approved drugs imported into the country by DKT International.
A task force made up of FDA officials and police personnel confiscated some of the drugs at the premises of DKT International following a tip-off.
DKT International and the Swiss national who helped in smuggling the unregistered drugs into Ghana were each charged GHC50,000. Joy News sources at the FDA disclosed DKT had settled its penalty but the Swiss national was yet to do same.
Mr Amedzro told Joy News the amount was to cover the administrative charges the family planning company circumvented.
“This is a very good eye opener…we are going to collaborate with sister organisations to tackle drug smuggling in Ghana,” he told Joy News after he was told DKT International had administered some of the drugs.
He said the FDA is intensifying its activities across the country in order to clamp down on illegal operations of some drug companies.
“We are opening more border post, training officers, and collaborating with other agencies to beef up security,” he said.
